New data elements and new place to manage your WorldCat Registry information

04 May 2011

The update, create and share functionality for WorldCat Registry records has moved to OCLC Service Configuration.

With this move, the more than 100,000 worldwide library profiles at http://www.worldcat.org/registry/Institutions/ become view-only. Authorized users can now go to OCLC Service Configuration to update or create their library's WorldCat Registry information.

Single place to manage institutional information

With this move, you can now maintain institutional information such as contact details and online catalog links in a single place—OCLC Service Configuration. The move to Service Configuration can help streamline your efforts to maintain data and supports OCLC's strategic move to a new platform-based architecture in which WorldCat Registry information and other data services can be surfaced in multiple ways.

It represents one less interface you have to learn and bookmark. It also represents one less interface the cooperative needs to maintain, which saves member resources.

Additional data elements added

In addition to the move, there are also new data elements available in the WorldCat Registry. These new elements help support OCLC Web-Scale Management Services and mobile-specific functionality, including:

New types of addresses to designate for a shipping address versus a location address

Time zone settings

Open hours, including normal hours and special hours

Additional options to designate availability for your online catalog, such as "Available online, intranet only or not available externally"

Additional functionality added

There are new feature enhancements also now available, such as the ability to:

Prevent duplicate entries for your institution

View Registry records on a map and correct longitude and latitude

View a listing of all authorized users for your institution

View and update branches and affiliations on one page, and automatically relate records to each other

Detect IP address duplicates

There are some minimal changes to the WorldCat Registry APIs in terms of schemas and XML outputs. Find detailed information about these changes on the OCLC Developer Network blog.

Libraries who do not already have an authorized WorldCat Registry account can request a login to OCLC Service Configuration by following the instructions at Implement your library's enhanced access to its licensed content.

The WorldCat Registry is a free service for the library community, provided and maintained by the OCLC cooperative. With information about more than 100,000 libraries worldwide, the WorldCat Registry helps raise visibility for libraries on the Web. All libraries, regardless of OCLC membership status, are encouraged to view and update their information.